Black Velvet: When The Carnival Comes to Town
by Firstbitegirl
Summary: ((A HALLOWEEN HORROR NIGHTS FANFIC. WILL CONTAIN MOVIES MENTIONED AT THE EVENT)) Seven years ago, Pip's father was murdered by a maniac. Now, the same clown faced man has resurfaced and is assembling a group of nightmarish figures to kill hundreds of innocents. It's up to Pip to stop him...but will she and the others be able to survive when the Carnival of Carnage comes to town?
1. Prologue: Loss

**Disclaimer: I regret to inform you that I do NOT own Halloween Horror Nights, any of the glorious icons, or any of the movies or houses shown in the parks. I don't own Legendary Truth or any of it's agents. However, I do own a deep, ever present respect for all the above things and hope to do them justice in this fic.**

**I should explain myself: I am an avid HHN fan and have been so for years. I came up with an idea for this fanfiction a long time ago and fine tuned it to put on here. There will be mention of many of your favorite horror villians along with Jack the Clown. This is an Orlando, Florida Halloween Horror Nights based fic. I know it's a limited base of people but I hope if even just one of you enjoy it, I have done my job. Feel free to give feedback, good or bad- as long as it's respectful. I will post as often as I can and know this story has many sequels in the making. Alright- serious crap over-let's get on with the show. **

**_Prologue: Loss _**

"_If you want to stay alive, you'll need your wits to survive…when the Carnival comes to town._

_Your cries won't be heard on that I give you my word, When the Carnival Comes to Town. _

_Finger Knives will slice, Machetes will dice, and Chainsaws NEVER play nice…when the Carnival Comes to Town."_

_-"When the Carnival Comes to Town" radio AD, 2007, Halloween Horror Nights, Universal Studios, Orlando, Fl _

_Seneca Falls, New York-September 22__nd__, 2000_

Pip had promised she wouldn't go, but how could she not? The bright, twinkling lights could be seen from miles off. The peak of the Ferris wheel, bobbing up and down below the tops of the trees captivated her like it would any other twelve year old. The far away tinkle of carnival music sent her mind into a dizzy tizzy as she imagined what sort of wonders lurked just beyond her reach. She imaged there would be elephants and trained dogs, cotton candy and acrobats, jugglers, games and rides of all sorts, and of course…clowns. No doubt, the carnival had clowns; big, smiley, balloon animal making clowns. It sounded like a dream come true.

But upon proposing the idea to her parents, they shot it down almost instantly. They said it was too shady, this traveling carnival, and they promised up and down to take her to circus when it came around. But couldn't they understand, it wasn't the same! The circus was the same every year; the same people and the same trained animals doing the same tricks. The popcorn was always stale and the bright lights always hurt her small eyes. No….this was different. This carnival was special, she could feel it. A few kids from school had gone and told her of the wonders they'd seen. There was a freak show, they claimed with wide eyes, with things in it they couldn't even begin to describe. The majesty and the mystery of the traveling show was incredible beyond measure and this was why Pip made the decision to go.

She waited for the perfect night; her parents had date night every Friday and left their daughter to her own devises. She waved them off, like always, and waited until they were down the street before she set her plan into motion. She dressed her best, as one should when attending such an event. She slipped on her blue and green beach dress, equip with spaghetti straps and tie in the back. She wore her favorite sneakers, the well worn blue ones she only put on when for special occasions. She even did her hair back in a high ponytail and went as far to put on some of her mother's pink lip stick. Yes…it was perfect.

Pip stoked her faux leather purse with the money she'd saved (thirty dollars exactly) and made her way out of her home, careful to lock the door behind her. Of course, Pip wasn't stupid; young, but not stupid. A young girl at a carnival alone could be dangerous, so she enlisted the company of her neighbor.

Craig Nelson stood out by the street, waiting for his classmate to emerge from her home. Unlike her folks, his parents didn't care either way what he did. They didn't care if he went to the carnival. He secretly thought it was because he was adopted, and not their blood child, but he never said such a thought out loud. He actually hadn't even wanted to go(it was far too shady for his tastes) but his best friend had been so persistent; her never ending chatter of how "wonderful it must be" had finally got to him. When she practically begged him to accompany her on her venture, he couldn't refuse. So now, after telling his parents who had both been captivated by their NBC nighttime line up where he was going, he wanted patiently.

"Ready?" Pip's voice called his attention and he turned to see her locking the gate behind her.

"As I'll ever be." he chuckled. Craig was a year older then her, but you couldn't tell by looking at them.

Puberty had yet to strike either child and they seemed at a steady even for the moment.

"Did you remember to bring money?" Pip's voice came out like a whistle through the brackets of her

braces. "I only have thirty….do you think it'll be enough?"

"Jesus Pip." the boy rolled his eyes. "What do you plan on buying? One of the freaks?"

"I would just rather be prepared." she said stubbornly, adjusting the strap of her purse from falling down her arm. "Now come on, I want to get there before the rush."

She hurried by the boy, not doing a good enough job of containing her excitement. Craig sighed and followed, his hands jammed down deep in his jean pockets. The pair made their way down a couple of blocks, speaking only in passing of frivolous things. Craig knew Pip was too excited to focus on anything BUT the impending carnival. The trooped their way through the park, which had become quiet since dusk, and towards the grove of trees. A small hike through there would take them to where the carnival had gone and set up came. They stepped through the dark trees, which billowed almost ominously in the breeze, Craig noted silently, and began their march through the dark. Craig followed Pip close, feeling around on the tree trunks to make sure he didn't stumble and fall.

"You alright back there?" she asked, causally looking over her shoulder.

"I'm fine."

He refused to tell her he was suddenly frightened. An overwhelming sense of dread had come down on him like a sudden thunderstorm. His heart beat frantically in his chest and he tried his very best to ignore it. He was the boy, after all, and therefore the fearless one. He swallowed hard and pushed all anxieties to the side. He boldly walked on, moving numerous bushes out of his way. Soon the twinkling lights of the carnival became their guide. As they moved out of the dark woods and upon it, Pip gasped. A sign hung above them. In curvy, gothic lettering it read:

ODDFELLOW'S DARK CARNIVAL AND EMPORIUM.

"This is it." her voice had become a whisper.

"Maybe we should go back." the cowardly words escaped before he could control them.

But it didn't seem to matter; this place had Pip entranced in a way that Craig had never seen. She moved into the vacant carnival grounds, not even checking to see if he had been following. It didn't seem like she was listening to him in the least.

The grounds of the carnival were deserted. Craig noted that the ground beneath them was void of any grass or foliage. The hollow September wind blew through with a thrill whistle as they moved from vender to vender. Pale faced carnies watched with a hard interest as both children made their way to the largest tent; a ratty red one that stood tall even against the looming Ferris Wheel.

"This must be the freak show." Pip noted smartly. Her voice was riddled with excitement. "You think you need a ticket to get in?'

"It doesn't look like you need a ticket for much of anything." Craig mumbled as his companion moved through the musky flap and inside the tent.

He followed slowly, wishing he could turn and run home. It was no wonder Pip's parents didn't want her here; this place gave him the willies.

Inside the tent was dark and cold. It smelled faintly of hay and animal feces. Craig crinkled his nose and, for the first time since they'd arrived, Pip turned to look at him. She was frowning.

"Stinks in here." she noted with a wave of her hand in front of her face.

"No kidding." he took a step towards her.

She was hard to make out in the dim lighting but her green eyes seemed to be radiating out of her skull and therefore easy to see in the black darkness.

"Pip, why don't we just head home? We'll order a pizza at your house and watch a scary movie. It'll-"

But the carnival's spell had reactivated her. She turned away from him and began to walk down the aisle that had been set up before them. There were cages, all lined up beside them. Inside were things that inspired ooh's and ahh's from both children. A half lizard man with scales for skin, a woman laying in a glass casket with rats crawling all over her, a person who was half man and woman (Craig noted they kept "it" with no trousers on so the difference was seen. He turned his head away and saw Pip had done the same thing.) Most notably, the scariest thing of the whole carnival had to be the silence. Even in this room of freaks, there wasn't a sound. With the exception of the ever-far away tinkling of carnival fan fare, it was perpetually silent. The creatures, with their dark inquisitive eyes, never spoke. But instead watched them as they walked by; staring daggers at them and following them all the way until they were out of site. Pip stopped short half way through the house, almost causing Craig to run into her.

"What's wrong?" there was relief in his voice. He hoped she had come to her senses and realized the absolutely creepiness around them.

"Nothing." her voice was but an excited whisper. She was moving towards one of the cages, her eyes the size of the moon. Craig shyly shuffled his feet so he could stand beside her. The creature in the cage before them had captivated her.

"Conjoined triplets." she said with wonderment. "I watched a show about people like this last week with my parents. I guess these were born before all the surgeries they have now."

Craig squinted, peering into the dank cell. He rested his arm on the plywood sign announcing the triplets and frowned.

"I only see two." he pointed at the huddled masses in the corner of the room.

Pip wrapped her hands around the cage bars and leaned in as close as she could get. Craig did the same, not touching the cage though in fear of germs or being yanked in. The huddled mass began to move and there was a low, squishing noise. Craig cocked his head to the side, leaning in just a little bit more. Suddenly, the huddled mass turned around. It had the face of a woman, or at least one of the heads did. Her eyes were almond shaped and her hair was greasy and matted with dirt and blood. She smiled at him, revealed long red streaks between her sharp teeth. She turned back to what she was doing, which had no become perfectly clear.

"Oh my God." Craig whispered. "They're eating the triplet…."

Pip's face had paled and she took a shaky step away from the cage. Her hands were covered in blood. She looked down at them, her bottom lip trembling in fear, and then she slowly turned up her gaze to meet Craig's. Both just stood there, motionless from the blend of terror and shock, when there was a sudden "fwap." The children jumped and swiveled towards the noise, only to be greeted by a horrifying figure. It was a man, or at least looked like it. He wore a ratty white and spotted jumpsuit, which was covered in mud and blood stains. His hair was a frizzed orange, just like that of a clown. His face was painted like one too; green greasepaint smeared over his eyes and lips, painting him an eternal grin. His eyes were a hot orange-yellow and they drained all Craig's words away from him. He looked at the children and paused. They noticed a nauseating sweetness flooded his face as he approached.

"Well hey there, kids!" he said in a goofy clown voice that did nothing to put them at ease. "Now, what are you guys doing in here all by yourselves?" He threw in a doofy laugh for good measure.

"We….." Pip's wavering voice piped up. "…we wanted to come see the carnival."

"You wanted to come see the carnival? Well that's just great!" He did a strange bobble dance, wiggling from side to side. His eyes were livid and his lips, located somewhere deep under the paint, stretched themselves into a leathery grin. "Well you've come to the right place! There's no better carnival than Oddfellow's! I used to work here you know."

"Really?" Pip's voice was starting to relax but Craig's heart was pounding. He needed to get out of there, and soon.

"Indeed I did!" the clown put his hands on his hips. "And I've returned to say hello to my ole' ringmaster! You wouldn't happen to know where he is….would you?" Pip shook her small head. "Well in that case…." The clown extended a single, dirty hand. "Will you come help me look?"

"Pip…." Craig's voice was dry, brittle with unadulterated fear.

The clown's eerie yellow gaze moved over to him and he paused, flashing a toothy smile. He noticed almost instantly their dark yellow shade with spots a dark, rusted red in between the cracks.

"You afraid of clowns, little boy?" He asked in his smiley sunshine voice. Craig pressed his lips together and then narrowed his eyes.

"No."

The clown laughed. He laughed and laughed, throwing his head back and almost howling. It was a horrible noise, deranged yet contained. Like a caged monster scratching at the bars of its cage. The clown looked back down at the boy, his eyes suddenly alive with a disastrous fire that sent chills through his small form.

"Then you don't know JACK." He produced a knife from what felt like nowhere.

Pip screamed and so did Craig. Both of them bolted; Craig felt the wind whistle past his face as the blade missed him by inches. The freaks around them had suddenly sprung to life; there was the sound of shrill laughter and heckling, the low angry beating on cage bars and floors. Arms flung from between the cracks and dirty, grimy fingers wiggled and tried to capture them. Craig instinctually grabbed his friend by the arm and ran. They moved through the heavy curtain, scrambling with frantic arms to get back to the outside. The abandoned carnival had magnified in creepiness. Even the trees seemed to sway darkly, like a mob of fingers reaching to hold them down.

"In the wagon." Pip pointed out, singling out a broken down trailer.

There was "closed" sign hanging on the side graphic that once read "Psychic." They rushed inside, throwing open the rickety wooden doors, then slammed themselves inside. It was pitch black within, unless you counted the few slivers of light escaping through the cracks in the wood. Through the darkness, Craig could hear Pip's shuddering breathes.

"It's going to be fine." he tried to assure her, but he himself wasn't so sure. He reached for her in the dark, grabbing her hand protectively.

"I'm so sorry." he could hear her choking sobs. "Craig, we should have stayed home. I should have listened. I'm so so sorry."

"You didn't know." he tried to play it cool. Yes, if she had just listened to her parents, neither of them would be in fear for their lives right now, but he couldn't blame her.

His eyes were beginning to adjust slowly and he could make out shapes in the room around them. There was a small, circular table in the middle of the room with what appeared to be a long-since dusted over orb sitting in the center of it. There was also a foul stench, something he could only compare to the time a raccoon had crawled up and died underneath their porch a few summers ago. The memory was fuzzy and dulled from time, but the smell of the rotting corpse was as fresh in his mind like it was the day before. But he said nothing; he also ignored the strange, crumpled figure laying only a few feet away from his trembling companion. There was enough that evening to be afraid of and something dead didn't need to be. He closed his eyes and clenched Pip's hand tighter. There was silence for a few dreadful moments and then a low, whimsical whistle coming from outside. Pip put a hand over her mouth to stifle noise and Craig felt himself go rigidly still. He recognized the tune from somewhere, but his mind wouldn't grasp at the name. Both children had become statues, watching as something moved by the cart, casting shadows where the light should have been. It felt like both of them had stopped breathing; their minds were running at miles a minute, going over every possibility and chance of escape. The whistling clown moved on, leaving their cart behind. The sound began to fade into the distance and Craig had to bite down on his inner cheek to keep from breathing a sigh of relief.

"Is he gone?" Pip's voice was barely a whisper. She spoke through the cracks in her fingers in fear of moving her hand back down to her side.

"I think so." he said back in the same way. Then he gasped bravely. "We need to make a run for it."

"Are you crazy?" her voice was tight and she squeezed his hand so hard that her small, light blue fingers nails dug deep into his palm. "He'll kill us!"

"Not if we run!" he hissed back. "If he's on the other side of the carnival, we can make a break for the trees and run all the way home."

"And if he follows us?" her voice was shaking again. "He'll get us AND my parents."

"So we just stay here?" he sounded so much older than his thirteen years. "We can't stay in here forever, Pip!" His voice smoothed out and he leaned in closer. "We need to do it. We just have to."

He could hear her crying and he wished he knew a way to comfort his friend. Hot tear drops fell onto his hands and she sniffled hard.

"Ok." her voice was meek. "Ok, we'll do it."

"Alright." He felt his mouth ease into a smile. "Alright, we'll…."

"ANGELA!" the voice shook the whole cart and both kids jumped.

"Daddy?" Pip's voice was a quivering question. Angela Dominique was Pip's real name; Pip was a nickname her father had bestowed on her since it was short for "Pipsqueak." She turned her watery eyes on Craig. "He came looking for me!"

'He probably knew you would be here."

"What's he doing home so early?" she said it with relief as she began to feel her way towards the exit.

"Probably left something at…."a wave of crushing realization splashed over him and he gasped. "…HE NEEDS TO STOP YELLING!"

Pip paused, looking at him confused for a few brief seconds.

"ANGELA! WHERE ARE YOU?"

"Daddy!" she had tried to yell but something kept her from doing so.

She rushed to the door and actually had her hand wrapped around the door handle when there was a laugh. And then a scream.

Everything seemed to fall into slow motion. Craig watched as Pip froze, her head cocked towards the noise in surprise, and then her suddenly panicky motion to get out of the trailer. But Craig broke into a run, grabbing her around the waist. If she walked out of there, they would both be dead. She struggled for a moment but then fell limp in his arms.

The screams had turned into gurgling gulps and the laughter just got louder and louder. It rose with the swell of the wind and seemed to sore out of the carnival and all over the sleepy town. Pip's bowed head began to produce scorching tears and her shoulders shimmied in silent, uncontrollable tears. Craig slumped down to the floor, pulling Pip down with him into the dust and mold. They sat in silence beside the dead body of Madam Leque, one of the only real psychics that had ever existed, and held each other in tight, unmoving arms until the police arrived.


	2. Chapter 1: Unknown

**Hello everybody! Thank you to everyone who read the first chapter! It means a lot to me :) Anyway, here's the next chapter! Please feel free to leave me some kind of feedback; I'd really appreciate it! Good or bad, as long as it's respectful :) Alright, I've babbled enough: enjoy! **

**-Mimi**

-Unknown-

_Seneca Falls, New York -June 28__th__, 2007_

"Goooooood MORNING Seneca! DJ Zippy in the morning here to shake you and wake you into another be-U-tiful day in New York."

Pip's eyes fluttered open and she groaned, wishing with all her heart she could sleep just a little while longer. The sunlight pouring through the flimsy window blinds was startling and she turned onto her side, reaching over to her bedside table to snap her clock radio off. She lay there for a few moments, letting her mind slowly begin to awaken with her.

She had just come from a strange and terrible dream. She had been chasing something, something that appeared to be made of fog. She did her best to catch up with it, but when she had, it engulfed her. There had been a horrible stench and terrible, nauseating laughter. A laugh, she shivered as she sat up, that she could never forget.

She got to her feet, flexing her toes and began to start her morning regimen. She stripped down out of her sleep shorts and tank top, allowing her bare body to soak in the mix of icy air conditioner and warm sunshine.

Pip's body had changed in numerous ways since that awful night. Puberty had come and gone, taking away the shivering little girl and leaving behind a woman. She was taller, taller than most girls. She came in at a smooth 5'7 and a half with a full head of thick dirty blonde hair. She had been blessed amply in the "womanhood" department, now in possession of a pair of "girls" that made most women scowl in envy. She was far from a twig; her body had silky curves that sometimes irked Pip when she thought of her incredibly slender friends. She dressed quickly, covering her otherwise exceptional figure with a tank top and loose pair of cargo pants. She pulled her hair up into a stringy ponytail and made her way out into the living room area.

Her home was quiet this morning. Then again, it felt like it had been quiet for the past seven years. Her mother had gone somewhere within her own self after Pip's father had passed away and, even though she never said it out loud, Pip knew she blamed her. Why else would someone stop caring about their own daughter?

Pip turned on the TV while she poured herself a bowl of cornflakes. The news droned on endlessly in the background, but she liked the noise. She hated feeling alone in that cold house and this seemed to brighten things up, even when the stories were dark or depressing.

"In other news…." Pip's eyes skimmed the screen while she went digging for milk. "….doctor Robert London, noted biologist, was found dead today at his base in Antarctica."

Pip snorted then stopped immediately. Death was nothing to laugh at, but what a strange place, Antarctica.

"Fellow colleges who'd come to Outpost 31 to deliver weekly supplies found his body in the lab." She settled down onto her sofa, sitting Indian style while she dined. "The doctor died from a gash to the neck, although his death has been ruled an unfortunate accident."

"Bullshit." Pip said through a mouth of mush at the Asian news woman. "Who slits their throat on accident?"

"It would appear Doctor London fell and slashed himself on a release hatch." a man with gray dusted hair appeared on the screen, as though he had heard her question. "He was having a lot of knee issues from the cold weather; I had just been talking to him about it last week, actually. It doesn't surprise me the damn thing finally gave out. It's just so unfortunate all his work has gone to waste."

Before Pip could even cock an eyebrow in question, the perky Asian woman was quick to explain.

"It appears that during Doctor London's unfortunate accident, he released his test subject that colleges describe to be "small, but his life's work." The project's finer details were kept under firm lock and key, so it seems the good Doctor will be taking all its secrets to his grave."

A picture of the dead man's face flashed up on the screen. He had to have been about fifty, no more no less. He had dark green eyes with small, fine crinkles around the edges of them. He looked refined for a man his age and his smile made him look years younger. But there was something about the picture that struck a chord with Pip. She shuddered so hard milk sloshed from her bowl and splashed down onto the carpet. She was quick to snatch up the TV remote and change it to something light hearted. There was some sort of Lifetime Channel hospital drama marathon going on and, although the plot was probably ridiculous, it sounded better than the disgustingly heavy news that morning.

After a few hours of this, followed by a power clean of the downstairs area of her home, Pip began to get ready to run errands. She dressed quickly, turning the TV up so she could follow the love story between head nurse and intern without having to actually watch the screen. She was interrupted, of course, by the shrill, annoying ring of her cell. She clicked it open, not even bothering to check the I.D.

"What?"

"Someone's testy today." The deep, sweet voice belonged to none other than Craig. Somehow, despite all the atrocities that had littered their young lives, the pair had remained thick as thieves.

"Sorry." she laughed, trying to sound more pleasant. "I was watching something on TV and I got distracted."

"Another of those trashy daytime TV shows you love so much?" he teased and Pip picked up on the sound of rapidly barking dogs in the background.

"Shut up." she snapped, sitting on the bed to pull on a pair of strappy sandals. "You home from class already?"

'The professor let us out early." he sighed contently. "That's the beauty of college."

"I'm sure."

Although Craig's parents didn't care too much about him as a person, his academic life was another story. He was enrolled in classes, studying to be a pediatrician, all on his parent's dime. Pip's family, on the other hand, didn't have that sort of money so for the time being, Pip was a delivery girl. She was getting close to having enough money to start at the closest community college though; maybe even by the next year, she could enroll.

"You alright?" Craig asked again, sounding wary. "You have your nightmare voice."

Craig always said he could tell when Pip's dreams were keeping her up because of the way it made her sound. The strained, anxious way she spoke seemed unobvious to anyone but him, which is probably one of the biggest reasons why they were best friends to begin with.

"I'm just home by myself, that's all." she said it quietly, biting her bottom lip while she struggled with her sandal strap. "You know how I feel about that."

"Want me to come over?" he offered and she could hear the smile in his voice.

"Don't bother." she finished with her shoes and stood up victoriously. "I have a few deliveries to make anyway." Then she forced herself to laugh. "I guess I was just being weird because of some creepy news thing on earlier."

"News thing?"

"Yeah…some scientist got killed in Antarctica. I don't know why but it gave me the heebie-jeebies."

Craig had grown silent on the other end. "You still there?"

"I'm here." he suddenly sounded preoccupied. "Would I be able to look that story up on Google?"

"I should think so." she said thoughtfully. "It was all over the news so I'm sure it's on the internet. Why?"

"Hey, I gotta go." he sounded rushed suddenly and she heard the dogs barking more urgently in the back. "I need to go feed Ritz and Filch."

"I thought that was Mario's job?" Mario was Craig's nephew who was about ten. He had come to live with Craig and his family about three years before hand because his mother, Craig's big sister Annie, was unfit to be a parent; that was putting it lightly.

"He's too busy with his Xbox to notice anything." he laughed, but it seemed hollow. "I don't mind doing it; I'd rather the animals not waste away while he tries to blow shit up in Halo. I'll come by later tonight, ok?" Before she could answer, he continued. "Alright, talk to you later."

And then he was gone. There was a click, followed by silence. Pip slowly slid her phone down deep into her pants pocket and stood there for a moment, unsure what to think. After a moment or so, she decided thinking about Craig's weird behavior was too much stress and she would tackle it later when she saw him in person. With that in mind, she clicked off the television, grabbed the keys to her Chevy, and rushed out the door.

The ShadyBrook Asylum had been a rehabilitation center for the criminally insane for as long as Pip had been alive and maybe even before that. As far back as she could push her memory, she could remember her mother making baskets every Christmas and Easter for the patients that lived within its cushy walls. And for the most part there was never a problem. Sure there was the occasional patient that wandered out of the grounds during a walk one day and ended up at the local McDonald's, but no one ever got hurt.

That was until a year ago, when some new prisoner incited a riot that broke out. Rumor had it that half a dozen of the guardians had been killed and half more were injured. Ever since then, the security around that place was tight as a drum. High, electric fences now circled the perimeter and guards paced back and forth out front day and night. There were bars over every window and along with the fancy alarm system that had been currently installed through the entire building, the place gave off very prison like vibes.

It was Pip's very least favorite place to make her deliveries. But today it seemed like there was no getting out of it. There were three very bulky packages delivered to the post office via the Asylums P.O. Box. (You never give out the real mailing address, a secretary had explained to her one day, because everything needed to be thoroughly checked. If everybody had the direct address, who knew what sort of crazy things could be delivered to their patients? It was a system that made little sense to Pip but it paid the bills, so she rolled with it the best she could.) Pip wheeled her cart, a four wheeled basic device she carried around in the bed of her truck, up to the entrance, flashing her work I.D. at the guard. He nodded, buzzing her in lazily and the double doors swung open before her. Pip began to wheel her cart down the long, windowless hallway. From a distance, she could hear muffled laughter and screams. A chill moved down into her stomach and caused a lump to form in her throat. Her hands clenched tighter around the bar of her cart as she turned a corner down another identical hall. The floor tile was the same color as the walls; that monotonous, off white shade that made your eyes water after staring for too long. The doors that lined these walls each had a small, rectangular cut out on the top; each with a strange black pattern on the outside. It almost resembled mini bars, like the ones on the outside windows, but Pip shook the idea away as she strolled into the secretary's office.

She had been in there numerous times before, but today it felt extra cold. The air conditioner was really cranking, pouring gallons of cold air down onto Pip's sun drenched body. She shivered, trying to keep her teeth from chattering. She looked over at the only girl working in the office. She was a pale, lovely thing with large, brown eyes and a soft, full lipped smile. She had a thick net of jet black hair, cut in a neat, heart shaped frame around her face. Pip would have been envious if it hadn't been for the girl's voice.

"Can I help you?" She had a smooth Brooklyn accent, something Pip couldn't herself stomach. It made her cringe although she did her very best not to show it.

"I have a delivery." she motioned to her packages. "I need you to sign for them, please."

"Oh alright, no problem." the girl reached into the small glass cup on her desk and fished out a simple blue pen.

Pip handed over the clipboard with all the proper papers then turned her head away, bored. The small office was insufferably boring; no pictures, no decorations of any sort, no real pizzazz at all. Pip wondered how any human being would be able to suffer through day after day of being cooped up in such a claustrophobic room. The woman at the desk was about to sign, flipping through a few yellow sheets of paper before reaching the right one when there was a rapid door knock on the door. Both girls turned to look. A man stood there, dressed in all white nursing scrubs. He couldn't have been any older than twenty six and had an overly charming sort of smile.

"Hey Asia, can I borrow you for a sec?" he asked in a speedy voice, looking down the hallway every couple of seconds. "We're having an issue with administering an exam on Miss Sharman and we could use an extra pair of hands."

"No problem." the woman rose, revealing she was a head shorter than Pip. She smiled her best secretary grin at her and titled her head towards the door. "I'll be right back." she said apologetically.

Pip nodded politely and wished she had her iPod with her. She turned her head side to side, leaning up against the desk to support her back. She drummed her fingers against the cart's handle, just looking for something to fill the empty space around her. The low hum of the computer beside her was comforting enough; it at least blocked out the awful sound of yelling from down in the infirmary.

Pip remembered with a frown the time she needed to make a package delivery to the head nurse himself, having to make the long, horrifying walk to the other end of the building. The chilling memory of the screaming and crying from inmates still haunted her mind like a heavy cloud. She wondered how this place had been on the inside before that riot. So much quieter, she imagined almost dreamily, almost nice. Her eyes landed on the desk beside her, which was littered with all sorts of papers and files. She saw a peel away calendar with a picture of a smiling cat on the front. Its eyes took up almost the niter frame it sat it. There was a big pink bow around its orange neck and, under its obnoxious smile, read the words "Best FISHES on a good day!" There was something creepy underneath the cuteness; perhaps it was the way the creature's smile stretched all the way across its comic face or maybe the way it's eyes were arched despite it's sweet grin.

It was freaking her out. She rolled her eyes, trying her best to play it off as something that annoyed her, and reached out to pull one of the file papers over its ghastly image. However, she regretted this choice right away. The rest of the paper shifted, coming loose from their small stack and spilling onto the floor. She gasped, looking up into the doorway then dashed over to scoop them up. She wasn't careful to put them in any order; she had no idea where that had come from to begin with. The only group of papers she knew even went together were the ones that fell directly out of a manila folder which had been seated up on the top. After she scooped up the random ones, placing them back on a straightened pile on the desk. Pip moved over to the file, moving to gather the papers up. But her heart suddenly stopped. Her whole chest tightened and her vision blurred momentarily.

There, in her hands, was a personal file on a patient. The picture attached to the page was unmistakable; that greasepaint, those awful yellow eyes.

It was the clown.

Pip had to swallow a scream. Her hands began to tremble violently and her breathing became heavy, deep shakes that rattled around in her chest. Her stomach heaved and she thought she was going to vomit, but the dizzy spell took precedence over puking.

"Hey!" The voice of the secretary didn't even jar her. Pip's eyes were cemented to the picture, unable to shift them away. It wasn't until the woman was beside her, trying to rip the file away from her that she came to her senses.

"I'm sorry." she squeaked, her voice sounding foreign to her. She lifted her gaze. "But….whose that man? Is he a patient here?"

The look on the secretary's face spoke volumes though. Her skin had turned ash white and her lips were moving slowly, like she was trying to speak. She rushed by her, closing the door to the office then looked back at Pip.

"Please.' she said in a pleading voice. "Don't mention to anyone you saw this file. I'm not even supposed to have it…."

Pip rose to her feet slowly, keeping eye contact with the suddenly nervous woman.

"Is he a patient here?" she asked again, this time more persistently.

"He was." the woman remained tight lip, straightening the papers over and over again. "He started a riot a while back…"

"That was him." her voice was nearly shot. It was as though the adrenaline coursing through her body had robbed her of her speech. "That….What's his name?"

"Jack." she spat, flipping through the papers clumsily. "Jack Schmidt. I-I don't know much more about….I could-"

But Pip couldn't hear her. The rattling of her own thoughts was loud enough to drown out anything else going on around her. Jack….after all these years, she had a name for the monster. The maniac dressed as a clown that had stolen her innocence and her father away from her. She had always pictured hm with a different name, something more sinister. Like Rasputin or Fangs the Killer Clown. But never Jack; not even in her wildest dreams could he have been a Jack. Jack's were kind and neighborly. She had a lab partner in high school named Jack; he played the clarinet in band and had horrible teeth.

Never had she thought her nightmare would be named Jack.

"You alright?" the secretary sounded afraid. Her wavering voice was enough to pull Pip out of her head and back into the world around her. She shook it from side to side then nodded.

"Yeah….. " The moment the words left her mouth, the nervous woman began to babble, her annoyingly thick accent stringing her words closely together and making Pip cringe.

"I was supposed to store this file away for one of tha' doctors." She explained while she clutched the thick thing to her chest. "But what I saw who it was I…I kept it." Then she added quickly. "Just to see what was wrong with him. I'd like to be a real psychologist some day and he was so messed up…I was gonna put it back, but I couldn't help but-"

Pip seemed to have found herself in a dream like trance. She reached out, grabbing the girl by the shoulders. The woman tensed and her eyes grew large with fear.

"I need that file." her words were hot and desperate. She pushed her fingertips down hard into the girl's shoulders and she let out a small squeak. "This man….he killed my father." She closed her eyes for a moment and the night rushed back to her.

She was twelve again and sobbing uncontrollably into Craig's chest. She remembered the smell of the blood and how it felt like an eternity for anybody to come and help. She could hear her mother's screams upon seeing the body and the high pitched wailing of the sirens, as though they mourned the death as well.

"I'm so sorry." The woman's not-unexpected response didn't surprise her.

"I need this file." she pleaded in her sternest voice possible. "Do you want money? I'll pay you whatever you want if you make me a copy."

"No money." The secretary held up her hand, giving a small sigh. "I'll make you the copy." Before Pip could start to gush with gratitude, she cut her off again. "BUT I can't have it to you until tonight. If I make copies, it'll have to be when I have the office to myself."

"You'll really do it?" Pip almost didn't believe her, but her hope wouldn't let her deny it.

"I will." she edged away from her. "I don't know why…I'll be risking my fucking job. But…" she met the girl's eyes and shrugged. "…I know what it's like to lose a parent. And besides, I need to put this one back and I want a personal copy for myself."

Pip couldn't believe her luck. She let out a tremendous laugh/sigh of relief. The secretary handed her a small pad of paper and a pen before turning her attention back on the clipboard she was supposed to be working on in the first place.

"Gimme your address and number and I'll give ya a ring before I drop it off tonight." she told her hurriedly, handing her back the papers. Pip nodded while she scribbled down her info, scanning it over once to make sure it was legible.

"I'll keep my phone on." she promised hastily, unloading the packages quickly off onto the floor beside the desk. When she straightened back up and took her clipboard back, she cleared her throat. "I'm Pip, by the way."

"Asia." The secretary said back just as quietly.

"Thank you again." Pip's voice was getting thick and she did her best to swallow back any tears she might have wanted to unleash.

She grabbed up her cart and gave a small goodbye motion before wheeling her way out the door.

She wondered if Asia would really call or, if she did and she gave her the information she sought, what on earth she would do with it. No one had any idea about what happened to that man (Jack, she reminded herself as she made her way into the daylight.) The bright light made her eyes water and she almost stumbled right into her own parked car. She looked back at the building for a moment, not really looking at it but just lost in thought. This would mean telling Craig. A part of her wondered what he would say. The whole day had changed them both, in both good and terrible ways. His reaction might be over the top, like his reactions tended to be. She had no choice though; whether that girl brought the file to her or not, she still had a gem of irreplaceable information.

Jack. His name was Jack.

There seemed to be nothing to eat in her home.

Pip was crouched in front of an open refrigerator, wearing a comfy purple tank top and sweats, digging around in what could have passed as leftovers.

Her mother was a nurse who was infamous for taking on double shifts. There had been week long periods where Pip hadn't even caught a glimpse of her mother, who seemed to prefer sleeping in the hospital lounge rather than coming home to her daughter.

However, when she WAS home, she usually ordered take out rather than real food. Most of it was Chinese, usually the pepper steak which Pip couldn't stomach. Most of the leftovers were still in their white boxes, clean on the outside but slimy and aromatic within. Pip had to move her face away to get a gasp of clean, odorless air before pressing on. She'd finally given up, slamming the door and dumping the seven leftover boxes she'd discovered into the trash.

"Good riddance." she told them with a hiss before picking up the house phone and popping the speed dial for Mushu Palace.

She ordered her usual: fried rice, honey chicken, an egg roll, and some dim sum with extra sauce. She anticipated Craig's arrival any time now so the more food on the way, the better. Somewhere around the age of fifteen, Craig had gotten hungry and never seemed to be able to quench it.

As she collected the money to give the delivery boy, who had promised to be there in thirty minutes or less, she heard the lock of her door click a couple of times and Craig appeared.

"Just in time." she said, placing the money on the counter underneath the phone so it wouldn't fall off. "I just ordered dinner. Hope you don't mind Chinese-" when she caught sight of his face, she stopped speaking.

Craig's eyes were wild within his skull, large and livid as though he'd just seen a ghost. He was clutching his laptop with no case in sight, which had been a brave move on his part seeing as it looked like it was about to rain. He closed the door behind him and came towards her, speaking quietly.

"There's something you need to see." his voice was empty but frantic. Before she could question him, he'd flung himself down onto her sofa and flipped his computer open. He clicked and typed a few time, his brow pressed down in thought.

"Wanna fill me in?" she hesitantly sat beside him. He paused after a moment, raising his head and looking at her with tired eyes.

"Remember this morning" he started, as though he were speaking about something that had happened a long time ago. "when you were telling me about that murder up in Antarctica?

What a strange way to give way into a conversation.

"Of course." she began to play with her hands. It was a nervous habit of hers. "Why?"

"Last night." he bit down hard on his bottom lip. "I…dreamt about something like it."

This was no shock to Pip, though. Craig had always had strange dreams; dreams about horrible things that always seemed to be real at some point. He dreamt of people dying in the most terrible ways; electrocution, a bed of nails, and probably the most frequent, being cut open while still alive. The adults dismissed it as some sort of trauma from the night Pips' father was killed and Craig had been sent to a few psychiatrists since then. It was only after a few news reports appeared, discussing the dead bodies of people found murdered in the ways he'd described, had his parents meekly pulled him from the sessions and never spoke of it again. No one ever spoke of it, actually. Except Craig and Pip, and only when they were in complete solitude. It was like a dirty secret or inside joke that no one outside the pair would ever understand.

"What did you see?" Pip was gentle with him, like she'd always been. She took his hand and cradled it in her own, giving it a squeeze every few seconds to show she cared.

"I saw the dead scientist." he explained slowly. "I saw that the man who killed him took his experiment."

"Did you see what it was?"

"No." he shook his head. "But the man really wanted it. He was so eager; he ran off and left a document of his behind." He looked over at the computer screen. "I wrote it all down when I woke up this morning. That way I wouldn't forget." He motioned for Pip to look. She leaned her head over, her long hair draping across his lap like a river. It was a list of cities and places. The only one that was crossed out was the words "OUTPOST 31" which was written in a shotty , messy handwriting.

"And the police never found it?" she asked.

"It probably got mixed up in the other papers." he continued on quickly. "Anyway, I did same research online about this experiment of his. It was called "The Thing." He pulled up a webpage full of scientific looking notes and comments. "It doesn't give away too much, but it says that supposedly, he found it out there in the snow and it can assume the shape of anything it wants. It killed the last party it was found by, but he was being extremely careful with it." he turned and looked at Pip.

"There's something else." she said breathlessly, although there was a dark looming in her heart that already knew what he was going to say.

"Yeah…." he sighed, rubbing his face in the same way his father did. "…I saw this man's face. Pip….I don't know how to tell you this…it was-"

"Jack." Her throat went dry and her head began to throb unmercifully. Craig blinked stupidly and shook his head.

"No." he said with a shake of his head. "Who? Pip, I'm talking about the clown."

"I know." she heard her own voice breaking, a strange sound to her ears. "I know who you're talking about." She made quick work of telling him the story of what happened earlier that day and left out not a single detail. She talked about the mental house, the creepy cat and the file; she talked of the picture she found and the anxious nurse who had promised to bring her by a copy. By the time she finished she was crying. Why? She didn't know. A mix of fear and confusion perhaps; there was no other explanation.

"Has she called you?" he asked quietly, squeezing HER hand this time.

"I left my phone upstairs." she said with a sniffle, forcing herself to calm down. "I haven't checked it since I took my shower." He nodded a few times while she spoke before taking his turn.

"I have a theory." he told her quietly, looking deep into her eyes. "The list I saw had a small doodle at the bottom of the page."

"Uh huh…."

"It looks like some sort of…" he cleared his throat, frowning. "Ferris wheel thing." He paused again. "I think maybe….this Jack….he's trying to assemble some freaks together for a carnival of his own."

"Why would you think that?" she asked, her heart hammering.

"He stole a dangerous mutant alien thing." he babbled with a shake of his head. "He's got a whole list of locations that could be the next items up for grab. I think…." he took a deep breath. "…..I think we need to go after him."

She didn't protest, though her common sense was screaming at her to. Instead she remained quiet and soaked in the idea.

"Outpost 31 was the first on the list." he explained calmly. "We can go to the next location, ask around for any local freaky shit and see if we can find him." He squeezed her hand again. "We could stop him before he kills anyone else."

What a stupid idea! Going on a whim provided to them by a silly dream Craig had. None of it seemed probable or even doable. But for some reason, a reason that she would not understand until years later, Pip nodded her head.

"I'll do it." she agreed. "Craig, I'm in."

She spoke the words in time for there to be a sudden rap on the door. Both jumped then laughed sheepishly.

"Those little Chinese guys are quick." she said, getting to her feet and moving to the front door.

However, when she cracked it open, she saw Asia on the doorstep. The wind was rapidly blowing, sending her perfect straight black hair billowing in every directions

"I called you." she said over the wind's howl. "But you didn't pick up. I figured I'd just come over and-"

"No, no it's fine." she motioned for her to come inside and she did so gratefully. Once within the home, Pip double locked the door and turned to look at the girl. She held a file out to her, which was stuffed with black and white photocopies.

"There's all there." she promised as Pip flipped through. "Like I promised. It wasn't' easy, but I got copies for tha' both of us."

'Thank you." her voice was earnest as she met her gaze. This Asia girl was a lot prettier outside of her secretary clothes. She had a knock out figure and was tall enough to be a model. Pip might go as far as to call her gorgeous.

"What're you going to do with all that?" she asked, titling her head towards the files. "All that information, I mean?"

"I'm going to find him." her voice was hard. "I'm going to find him and kill him."

Asia grew quiet, studying her intensely. Pip wondered if she sounded insane or not, but a wave of apathy so strong that it could crush out such wonderments came over her and she no longer cared what the beautiful secretary thought of her. The two shared a few horrible moments of silence until Asia drew a deep, unsure breath and asked a question that Pip was unsure on how to answer.

"Can I help?"


End file.
